2014 Roster
2014 Schedule
2013 Statistics

NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College men's lacrosse team has shown much improvement over head coach Eric Seideman's first two seasons at the helm. The team pick up its first-ever Skyline Conference victory in his first season, and then doubled that mark last year. His 14-17 mark as head coach shows that the team, set to begin its fifth season as a varsity program, is heading in the right direction.

"Building a program is no easy task, but we have made steady progress over the past two years," said Seideman.  "It has been amazing to watch our culture develop, through the daily effort of our players, as they have taken ownership of the future of the team. I feel great about the quality of our upperclassmen leadership, and the excitement and energy of our freshmen has really added a fantastic element."

After inclement weather postponed the Knights' scheduled home opener on Wednesday, Feb. 26, they are now set to open their season on Saturday, March 1, on the road against Alvernia University.

The Knights ranked fourth in the conference a year ago with 9.47 goals per game. They look to keep climbing the rankings with an improved line of attack. Junior Jake Robison (Franklin Square, N.Y.), a two-year starter who compiled 82 points (40 goals, 42 assists) at the midfield position, moves up to attack this year. Coach Seideman describes him as an excellent dodger, feeder and shooter, making him a strong asset to the Knights' offense.

Senior Matt O'Donnell (Wallkill, N.Y.) is a gritty finisher who makes the crease his home. He has scored 82 career goals, good for second in program history. His 58.3 percent shooting percentage ranked fourth in all of Division III men's lacrosse in 2013.

Freshmen Joseph Rizzotti (East Meadow, N.Y.), and Shaun McMahon (Commack, N.Y.) have been impressive in preseason practices and will compete with junior Henry Schof (Montgomery, N.Y) for the third starting attack position. Schof scored seven goals and added an assist last season. Sophomore Tom Frizalone (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and freshmen Kenneth Atkins (Wallkill, N.Y.), Sean Nolan (Wynantskill, N.Y.) and Joseph Timmons (Staten Island, N.Y.) round out the unit as all four work toward future starting roles with the team.

Senior Stephen White (Schenectady, N.Y.) and Junior David Hobbs (Baldwin, N.Y.) both return as starters. White has 39 career points on 23 goals and 16 assists, while Hobbs has 21 goals and 16 assists for 37 points. Both are excellent two-way midfielders who are adept offensively, defensively and between the lines. White is set to take the majority of the team's faceoffs after winning 280 of them and picking up 192 groundballs in his career.

Junior CJ Cardo (Merrick, N.Y.) and senior Logan Sollami (Cornwall, N.Y.) return to the team this season after sitting out the 2013 campaign. Cardo, a shifty and creative catalyst, scored 19 goals and dished out 11 assists in 2012. Sollami is one of the team's best pound-for-pound athletes. He had six points in 2012, but he looks to make a much larger contribution to the team in his return.

Sophomores Sebastian Cina Jr. (Colts Neck, N.J.) and Steven Fabrizio (Geneva, N.Y.), a burly dodger and a player with one of the best lacrosse IQs on the team, along with freshmen John Grillo (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Michael Romanik (Hicksville, N.Y.) add some strong depth to the unit and should compete for time on the field.

Senior Stephen Kozal (Brewster, N.Y.), junior Jack Capetola (East Rockaway, N.Y.) and sophomore Brendan Nestola (Merrick, N.Y.) all battled injuries a year ago, but return as a deep and experienced defensive midfield group. Freshmen Brendan DuRoss (Bethpage, N.Y.) and James Bosco (Staten Island, N.Y.) are good athletes who should contribute once they catch up to the speed on the college game.

All the pieces return from a defense that improved by more than two goals against per game in 2013, and looks to make further progress in the new season. Sophomore Mike Hargraves (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) was selected at the team's top defensive player in 2013. A physical presence, Hargraves worked hard in the offseason to improve his footwork. Senior Matt Buonocore is a four-year starter and the team's vocal leader on the defensive end.

Senior Ray Bednarczyk (Carmel, N.Y.), "a groundball vacuum," as described by Seideman, shifts from close defense to long-stick midfield this season. Junior Jordan Hansen (Gardiner, N.Y.) and sophomore Joe Pille (Oakland, N.J.) are both experienced veterans who split time on defense in 2013.

Freshmen Austin Kern (Smithtown, N.Y.), Brendan Farrell (East Patchogue, N.Y.), Michael Capetola (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) and Nicholas Wise (Pine Bush, N.Y.) will all be part of the rotation this season. Sophomore Anthony Mielnicki (Howell, N.J.) and freshman Kyle Russo (Commack, N.Y.) will compete for time as they become more familiar with the team's defensive systems.

Spearheading the defense for the Knights is junior goalkeeper Connor Haran (Massapequa, N.Y.). He returns after a solid 2013, his first year as the starter. He made 180 saves for a .503 save percentage in 15 games a year ago en route to a 7-8 record. He is poised for a big improvement in 2014 with a full year between the pipes under his belt. Freshman goalkeeper A.J. Galletta (Commack, N.Y.) will serve as Haran's backup this season. He's a capable reserve who throws great outlet passes.

After their season opener at Alvernia the next will next play March 8 at Gwynedd-Mercy College and March 11 at Haverford College before finally returning home to play Centenary College (N.J.) on Saturday, March 15. Skyline Conference play will begin on Saturday, March 22, with a road contest at the College of Mount Saint Vincent.

"We have really upgraded our schedule this year, with the addition of perennial top-20 teams in RPI and Haverford, as well as Centenary, who won 14 games last year," said Seideman.  "We are excited by the challenge of pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone, to see how great we can be."

Follow the Knights on Twitter at @MSMCKnights and the men's lacrosse team @MSMCLacrosse